Édouard Boubat was born in Paris on September 13, 1923. In 1938, Boubat attended the École Estienne, where he studied to become a photo engraver, but in 1943, he was called up to work in a German factury for two years. When he finally returned to Paris in 1946, he bought his first camera, a 6 x 6 Rolleicord.

His first professional photograph was taken in the Jardin du Luxembourg in 1946 and was titled "Little Girl with Dead Leaves," a charming and magical shot. The following year, at the age of 24, Boubat exhibited the picture at the Salon International de la Photographie organized by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and was awarded the Kodak Prize.

The same year that he bought the Rolleicord Boubat met his future wife, Lella, of whom he took some of the most beautiful and emblematic photographs of the 20th century.

In 1950, Boubat's work was initially published by the Swiss magazine Caméra. He worked as a freelance photojournalist on contract to the magazine "Réalités" in the 1950s and 1960s and traveled widely throughout his career. His work is in the collections of numerous major museums and institutions around the world.

Boubat sought to make photographs that were a celebration of life. He once said, "A photograph gives you a deep insight into a moment, it recalls a whole world." He had a keen sense of all our humanity, and noted that "we are living photographs. Photography reveals the images within us."

In 1968, Boubat left Realités magazine, but continued to work on an independent basis.